Changes in Electroencephalography and Cardiac Autonomic Function During Craft Activities: Experimental Evidence for the Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Occupational therapy often uses craft activities as therapeutic tools, but their therapeutic effectiveness has not yet been adequately demonstrated. The aim of this study was to examine changes in frontal midline theta rhythm (Fmθ) and autonomic nervous responses during craft activities, and to explore the physiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effectiveness of occupational therapy. To achieve this, we employed a simple craft activity as a task to induce Fmθ and performed simultaneous EEG and ECG recordings. For participants in which Fmθ activities were provoked, parasympathetic and sympathetic activities were evaluated during the appearance of Fmθ and rest periods using the Lorenz plot analysis. Both parasympathetic and sympathetic indices increased with the appearance of Fmθ compared to during resting periods. This suggests that a relaxed-concentration state is achieved by concentrating on craft activities. Furthermore, the appearance of Fmθ positively correlated with parasympathetic activity, and theta band activity in the frontal area were associated with sympathetic activity. This suggests that there is a close relationship between cardiac autonomic function and Fmθ activity.

Social Buffering Effects during Craft Activities in Parallel Group Session Revealed by EEG Analysis and Parasympathetic Activity

“…Nevertheless, activation of parasympathetic activity occurred, suggesting a stress-relieving effect of the presence of others, as in previous studies that observed changes in blood pressure and heart rate [ 72 ]. In addition to the relaxing effect of performing craft activities [ 43 ], the social-buffering effect [ 11 ] of performing craft activities in parallel with intimate others may have led to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. These may be related to social buffering, a phenomenon in which people recover better from avoidance experiences when in the company of peers [ 10 ].…”

“…The occupational activity performed during the experiment was the same as in the previous study [ 43 ]: Netcraft, a simple repetitive task widely used in clinical OT settings. Three-minute tasks were performed in the following three conditions.…”

“…Craft activities have certain therapeutic effects in improving satisfaction with daily life and subjective well-being [ 39 ]; improving sense of self, values, and hope for the future [ 40 ]; improving occupational performance and interpersonal relationships [ 41 ]; and improving positive and negative symptoms [ 42 ]. Electrophysiological studies have reported that individuals with frontal midline theta rhythm (Fmθ), a biomarker of focused attention during craft activities, are relaxed and focused and have increased parasympathetic activity [ 43 ].…”

Carbon dioxide effects on daytime sleepiness and EEG signal: A combinational approach using classical frequentist and Bayesian analyses

“…On the contrary, there was no significant difference between C and MH CO 2 conditions during longer exposure (Figure S4 and Table S27). A human study by Shiraiwa et al, reported the theta power of EEG in the frontal area was positively linked ( r = 0.782) with changes in sympathetic activity during craft activities 55 in a CO 2 non‐adjusted condition. This finding is supported by previous research that the sympathetic activity depends on the strength of activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), 56 and ACC was also thought to play a critical role in theta wave generation and heart rate changes 57,58 …”

Frontal midline theta rhythm and gamma activity measured by sheet-type wearable EEG device

“…Thus, measuring Fmθ during work activities can objectively evaluate the state of attentional focus. In the field of occupational therapy, the appearance of Fmθ during craft activities has been shown to be related to the autonomic nervous responses, suggesting that focusing attention on craft activities can have relaxing effects ( Shiraiwa et al, 2020 ). Also, during cognitive tasks, active mobilization of cortical areas has been reported to be translated into a local increase in the gamma bandwidth ( Tallon-Baudry and Bertrand, 1999 ).…”